amateur photographer, farmer and magistrate, was born on 2 February 1816, fourth child of Marshall Waller and Elinor Clifton and brother of Elinor, Louisa and Mary . Pearce, as he was known, arrived in Western Australia in March 1841 with parents William Marshall and Elinor Clifton and eleven of their children, per _Parkfield_where his father Marshall Waller had been appointed as Commissioner at Australind Settlement.Clifton sr was appointed a magistate for Bunbury region in December 1841 William Pearce was in partnership with G Plowes but this dissolved 25 May 1842.On 3 January 1844 he married Annette Josephine Gaudin, née Huet, widow of the surveyor John Gaudin (d.1843) and his sisters’ governess. They established a farm, Ringwood, at Australind. In 1846 he was appointed a justice of the peace and agent for claims on the Western Australian Company, then being wound up.His father and brother were shareholders. In 1847 Pearce was a member of the party which traced the road from Bunbury to Williams. In December 18949 travelled from Perth from Bunbury.
The Cliftons moved to the Swan River settlement where Pearce became an enthusiastic amateur photographer, taking good views of New Norcia and district. A series of views he took of Fremantle in the late 1860s are considered to be among the best photographs of the town at that time. (Examples of his work are in the Battye Library.) From 1870 he was resident magistrate at Bunbury. Annette Clifton died there in 1871 and Pearce married Amy Symmons in 1874. There were three children of the second marriage. He died at Bunbury on 1 May 1885.
- Writers:
- Pheloung, Ann
newtog
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2022
